Issue 61 - Historical Society of Crescenta Valley

Montrose
August 2009
La Crescenta
Verdugo City
Highway Highlands
La Canada
The Newsletter of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley
Flintridge
Issue 61
***CURRENT HSCV INFORMATION***
Skeletons in our Backyards:
Human remains found along the Alameda Corridor
People have been dying in the Los Angeles area for thousands of years, and the
majority of them are buried in the very ground we walk on. Here in the Crescenta
Valley, we know that our founder Benjamin Briggs is buried somewhere on Briggs
Terrace, one of our early pioneers reported attending three burials somewhere in La
Canada, and when the 210 Freeway was being built construction crews unearthed an
ancient headstone between Rosemont and La Crescenta Avenues. Every time we dig
a hole in our gardens, we stand a chance of digging up a former resident. But what
happens when we do?
We’ll hear firsthand from someone who’s had to deal with that. CV resident Elaine
Sylvestro is the environmental manager for the company that constructed the Alameda
Corridor, a huge trench that carries train traffic below ground between the port and
Los Angeles. Several Native-American skeletons were exhumed accidentally during
construction, and Elaine will describe the documentation and reburial process that took
place. The process was a fascinating look into LA’s history, and a testimony to the
dignity only recently being afforded to Indian remains. It also provides an insight into
what may lie just below the surface in our own backyards.
Archeologists excavate a find on a
road construction project site.
Join us on Monday, August 17th, 7:00 p.m.
At the Center For Spiritual Living
(formerly known as the La Crescenta Church of Religious Science)
Located on the corner of Dunsmore and Santa Carlotta
Another movie in the park:
Lucille Ball--The Long, Long Trailer
Plus a special appearance –
Lucy’s chauffeur, Frank Gorey!
at
Two Strike Park
5107 Rosemont Avenue, La Crescenta
Saturday, August 29th, beginning 6:15 PM
Event is FREE! Popcorn is FREE! BBQ is affordable!
In this classic comedy from 1954, co-stars and real-life husband-and-wife team Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz star in this
hilarious movie. The story follows the misadventures of a newlywed couple as they tow their gigantic travel trailer on a crosscountry journey. This movie serves as the perfect “vehicle” for Lucy’s classic slapstick comedy routines. Also in the movie are
the comedians Ed Wynn and Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle), who incidentally had a second home in the Crescenta Valley.
Along with the movie, we have a real treat for Lucy fans! Frank Gorey, who was Lucille Ball’s chauffeur and personal
assistant in Beverly Hills for 30 years will be our special guest. Before the movie, Mr. Gorey will talk about his experiences
with the family, tell some funny personal stories about Lucy, and answer your questions.
Make an evening of it, as we’ll have dinner for you as well! Starting at 6:15, we’ll be BBQing up hot dogs and hamburgers
for the ridiculously low price of $2 for a dog, chips and a drink, or $3 for a burger, chips and drink. Movie at about 8 p.m..
Umbrellas or shaders are an option with the late summer sun. Parks will again be supplying a popcorn machine for our use
and enjoyment. We have CV Town Council President Steve Pierce, and LA County Parks to thank for this free event.
“An Evening in the
Vineyard”
The Stone Barn Vineyard Conservancy
invites the community to come out and
commune with the ripening grapes of the
Deukmejian Park vineyard, as we move
towards harvest time. Come out in the cool
of the summer evening, help a little in the
vineyard, learn a little about winemaking,
and enjoy a picnic dinner as the sun sets.
During this session, besides doing a little
maintenance in the vineyard, our winemaster Heather will demonstrate the
scientific methods of determining the
quality of our grapes. We hope you’ll join
us!
Friday, August 21st from 6:30 to Sunset.
Deukmejian Wilderness Park,
3429 Markridge Rd.
Bring your picnic dinner, and we’ll meet at
the vineyard, just below the big stone barn.
By Sharon Weisman
As you probably heard, Wendy
Greuel intervened with LA Planning and
got an extension of the comment period for
the Draft Environmental Impact Report
on the Verdugo Hills Golf Course
potential development. Comments are now
due on August 19. See:
http://www.gcvoice.org/currentprojects/vhgc.htm for a link to the report
and instructions on how to comment.
Please consider all the impacts that would
result from construction of 229 homes on
the property and express your concerns.
You can also support the effort by making
a contribution, the details on how to do that
are also available from the website above.
There's a fund raiser on August 31st at
Joselito's West, 7308 Foothill Blvd.,
Tujunga, CA 91042-2727, (818) 951-2275.
Let them know you support the VHGC and
a percentage of your bill will go to toward
saving this valuable community resource.
Highway Highland Neighbors turned
out to let the Glendale City Council know
how they felt about the proposed threestory, nearly fifty foot tall, mixed-use
retail/office/medical office building at the
Foothill Lumber site at the July 21st city
council meeting. The council voted 3 to 0
to deny the appeal, with Dave Weaver on
vacation and Laura Friedman excusing
herself because she sat on the DRB #2
when they sent the original project back for
redesign. This is wonderful news for our
valley but the property remains ripe for
development as do several portions of the
boulevard. Please keep thinking about the
types of businesses you'd like to see in our
area and encourage them to relocate here.
The North Glendale Community Plan
Advisory Committee meetings started
August 3 and will continue throughout the
summer. The goal is for the committee to
find consensus on areas where there is no
clear agreement among stakeholders on the
direction development should take.
Topics to be discussed this month are
Designing the Community and Design
Standards. Street Design & Mobility and
Parks & Rec, Open Space and Schools will
be considered in September. October's
focus will be Infrastructure, Sustainability
Issues and wrap up. A Community
Meeting to let the public know the results
of all this discussion is tentatively
scheduled for November 9, 2009.
Please let me know your thoughts on
these issues and anything else you wish to
have the committee discuss. Bill and I are
both on the committee and one or both of
us will attend the committee meetings.
You can also share your thoughts directly
with Alan Loomis or Laura Stotler at the
Glendale Planning Department (818)
548-2140 or by email at
LStotler@ci.glendale.ca.us or
ALoomis@ci.glendale.ca.us.
Residents in the Crescenta Valley
Water District territory are restricted to
watering their yards on Tuesdays and
Saturdays only, while the City of Los
Angeles has chosen Mondays and
Thursdays for their two allowed days.
Glendale generously allows the
landscaping to be watered on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, and Saturdays. We all need to
be mindful of the scarcity of water and not
waste it.
We also need to help our elected
officials see the connection between
development and water usage. With that in
mind, three spots on the CVWD Board are
up for election November 3. Candidate
filing just closed so keep an eye out to see
who's running.
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Glendale has stirred up more media
controversy with its ban on artificial turf in
front yards, especially with the water
restrictions currently being implemented.
Glendale is still grappling with mandates
for green front yards left in the municipal
code from the past century, but will not
allow the daily watering new sod requires.
I watched the council debate allowing the
artificial grass in front yards and there are
very strong feelings on both sides of the
issue. The city is gradually coming to
appreciate the beauty of rocks, gravel,
bark, mulch, and xeriscaping in favor of
the lush expanses of green lawns favored in
the past, yet don't seem to have come to
grips with the fact that increased development uses water. You can share your
thoughts on this issue with the North
Glendale Community Plan Advisory
Committee.
Plaques Abound!
The idea of listing the plaques here in
our valley occurred to me recently when a
long forgotten plaque was pulled out of the
bushes at Verdugo Hills Hospital, and was
remounted there by an Eagle Scout. It
brought to light a fascinating story, which
will be covered more fully when the
monument is rededicated in September.
I’m a plaque addict, and stop to read
plaques anytime I see one. Each one tells a
story. There are many here in CV that are
almost completely forgotten, and this our
attempt to bring them to light.
I teamed up with my wife and Art
Cobery, who is largely responsible for the
majority of the plaques the HSCV has
installed. We tended to skip the straight
dedication plaques that one sees outside
post offices and libraries, as those tend to
be just a listing of government officials.
We picked up a few of these if they were
especially interesting.
As we traveled around the valley to
document these plaques, we discovered a
few that we didn’t even know about. I
would imagine that there are others we
have missed. If you know of a plaque that
we missed, let us know and we’ll
document it in a future issue of the
newsletter. You can email me at
lawlerdad@yahoo.com, or send a note to
HSCV, c/o 2717 Altura Ave. La Crescenta, 91214.
In the meantime, we hope you note a
few plaque locations here that pique your
interest, and that you’ll use that excuse to
go out and discover something new about
your own community.
-- Mike Lawler
Center for Spiritual Living
(formerly known as the Church of Religious Science)
There are a couple of plaques at our “home church” the La Crescenta Center for Spiritual Living (formerly Church of Religious
Science), located on the corner of Dunsmore and Santa Carlotta. One on the stairway to a former parishioner, and the other a
little more mysterious. It commemorates the death of Ensign Richard Bryce Wilkie in 1941. An internet search shows him
having died on 06/21/1941, with no other pertinent info. It refers to him as being in the Naval Reserve, and another site shows
him as a graduate of Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy. (Anyone know anything about Mr. Wilkie?)
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
The Mount Olive Lutheran Church, located on Foothill and Dunsmore,
has a cornerstone in the base of its bell tower that gives its build date.
St. James The Less Catholic Church
How many people know there
is a Doyle Park in La
Crescenta? It’s the landscaped
area in front of St James
Catholic Church, located
between the entrance and exit
driveways off of Dunsmore
(above Foothill), remembering
Father Doyle. The plaque is
located in the center of the
park.
Bonetto House
Thomas and Florence Bonetto
were valley pioneers, and with
Bart Bonetto operated the iconic
La Crescenta Feed and Fuel store
for the best part of the 20th
century. Their home, located
at 2819 Manhattan Ave., has
been lovingly restored by owner
Barbara Hannigan, and was
declared a Glendale Historic
Landmark a few years ago.
It’s the first private home in the
Valley to receive that distinction.
3
Clark Magnet High School
Anderson Clark had been a distinguished Midwestern minister before retiring to the Crescenta Valley in the ‘20s. He made
such a name for himself in service to the community that residents renamed the local junior high school after him. There has
been a school named after Clark since the ‘30s, yet very few knew who he was. The current Clark Magnet High School took
this to heart and with a local Eagle Scout, dedicated a “plaque wall” a few years ago. Besides the new plaque that includes a
photo and description of Andy Clark’s life, there are several restored older plaques that graced the wall of the various schools
named for Clark. One is particularly interesting in that it memorializes the graduated students of Clark Junior High that gave
their lives in WWII. The plaque is located in the rose garden to the left of the school’s front door, 4747 New York Ave.
La Crescenta Womans Club
The venerable La Crescenta Womans Clubhouse, located at 4004 La Crescenta Ave., is graced with a granite cornerstone with
its build date of 1925.
4
Twelve Oaks Lodge
Twelve Oaks Lodge, located at 2820
Sycamore, serves the valley as a
retirement home. We know very little
about this beautiful wooded facility
other than, according to the plaque by
the front door, it was gifted by James
and Effie Fifield in 1935, and that it’s
currently run by the Southern
California Presbyterian Homes. If any
of you know anything of Twelve
Oaks’ history, please write or email us.
La Crescenta Elementary School
The original school bell
for La Crescenta, rang for
kids to come to school to
the one room schoolhouse
built on this site in 1888.
Put into storage in 1948,
the bell was forgotten until
local residents banded
together and in 1976 had
the bell reinstalled in this
replica of the original
belfry. The associated
plaque tells its story and
marks the names of the
first students of this
school, many of them
recognizable in the history
of CV. This bell is rung
once a year during the 6th
grade graduation
ceremony. The school is
located at 4343 La
Crescenta Ave.
La Crescenta Library
When our new library opens at the end of this year, the lobby floor will have this beautiful bronze and cut stone historical
plaque and compass rose in it. The plaque was completely paid for by donations from HSCV members, community individuals
and businesses.
5
Two Strike Park – Dennis Morgan
Film star Dennis Morgan was a local
resident in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and very
involved in community service. He
saw the need for a new park for kids
to play baseball in the growing
community. He latched onto the
motto that “any kid that had to play
baseball in the street already had two
strikes against him, and the third
strike would be getting hit by a car.”
He sponsored a series of celebrity
baseball games to raise money for this park, and it was developed in the late ‘50s.
A fan of Dennis Morgan from outside the area pushed for this plaque, which was installed about 10 years ago and located near
center of parking lot to the right of stairs. Two Strike Park in located at 5107 Rosemont Ave.
Two Strike Park – War Memorial
A war memorial was
erected at Two Strike Park
soon after it opened, but
has largely been forgotten,
until recently when a
group of Valley veterans
adopted it as their own.
Memorial Day services
have been held here for
the last couple of years,
and concrete plans are
afoot to expand the
memorial to include the
names of valley residents
who have lost their lives in
combat. Located off
lower parking lot just
inside park.
Wilhelm’s Run
This cornerstone that has been
incorporated into someone’s
landscaping once graced the entry
gates to an estate that was once on
this site. 1906 is still clear, but the
former name of the estate “Wilhelm’s
Run” has been mysteriously chiseled
off. The entry gates were demolished
in the ‘80s.
Crescenta Valley Water District
In 2004 Brent Anderson, a
community leader and member of
the Crescenta Valley Water
Board died prematurely of
cancer. A plaque dedicating the
native plant garden is just outside
the entrance to the Water District
office, 2700 Foothill.
6
St. Luke’s of The Mountains
St. Luke’s Church,
located at Foothill and
Rosemont, is of course
one of the more historic
sites in the valley, and
and so naturally has its share of
plaques. It has its cornerstone, a
plaque commemorating the gift of
the chimes by the Watchorn family,
in memory of their son who died of
injuries sustained in WWI, and a
small plaque nearly hidden in the
landscaping on the north side
memorializes Boone Sadler Sr.
and Angelo Iannone.
1934 Flood
This site at Fairway and Rosemont is perhaps the most historic site in the Valley. It was here on New Years of 1934 that
refugees gathered and were swept away when the American Legion Hall located here was gutted by a midnight flash flood.
This monument was the first one in a series of plaque sites by the HSCV. It was dedicated on the 70th anniversary of the flood,
on New Years Day 2004.
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
Holy Redeemer was rebuilt in 2003 and a plaque was installed commemorating the laying of the cornerstone. Out front on the
side of the stairway leading up is a hand inscription by the stonemason “L. B. 1929” It’s known that one of the prominent
stonemasons in the valley had the last name of Binetti, so perhaps this is him.
7
Pickens Canyon Park
Pickens Canyon Park is a relatively new mini-park that showcases our first in a series of
“Welcome to La Crescenta” signs. It already has some plaques. One is a memorial to local
young man Nick Steinbacher, who was gave his life in the Iraq War. There are also two large
informational signs put up by an Eagle Scout last year. One tells the history of Theodore
Pickens and Benjamin Briggs and the other gives the history of the early natural resources
of the valley.
McCarton Plaque
In 1928 a commemorative plaque and bench were placed in this park in honor of Paul McCarton, and Eagle Scout that had
died in an accident. Over the years the bench and the plaque disappeared. In 2005 the HSCV and a local boy scout troop
constructed this stone bench and installed a new plaque to memorialize Paul McCarton, at Orangedale and Mira Vista.
Montose Library
In 1993 the local chamber
of commerce placed a time
capsule in this wall in front
of the library, 2465
Honolulu, to be opened
in 30 years; in 2023.
Montrose History Walk
A few years ago a Montrose History
Walk was conceived by a group of
local historians. Twenty-some
plaques that comment on various
aspects of Montrose’s history were
installed at ground level in the
landscaping of the shopping park
by a local Boy Scout Troop. It is
hoped that in the next year these
plaques will be replaced by more
elaborate markers.
8
Zwick Brothers
Zwick’s Plaza, a small retail/office structure, was named for the Zwick family, who once had their home on this site. The two
sons of the Zwick family both lost their lives in WWII within a month of each other. This plaque tells their story. It was
inspired by the rediscovery of the Zwick boy’s handprints and initials preserved in the cement of part of the old Zwick home,
which was lovingly incorporated into the courtyard fountain and is still visible today.
Vietnam Memorial site
The so-called “Vietnam Memorial” site in the Shopping Park, located at Honolulu and Ocean View, actually has several other
memorial plaques installed there. The Vietnam Memorial itself lists the names of the local young men who lost their lives in
that conflict. Built in 1967, it was the first Vietnam memorial in the country. Below the flagpole is a plaque that tells the story
of the establishment of National Flag Week by two Montrose businessmen in 1966. On a concrete monument to one side is an
elaborate US Bicentennial themed memorial that tells the history of the Crescenta Valley and the Spanish land grant Rancho San
Rafael. The site also has a set of small plaques that commemorate local community leaders Don Carpenter and Frank Roberts.
Lanterman House
The Lanterman House was built
in 1915 and is now a museum
listed on the National Register
of Historic Places! It is located
at 4420 Encinas Dr. The plaque
is just outside the front door.
9
Verdugo Hills Hospital – Freedom Tree
This restored plaque in front of Verdugo
Hills Hospital is in the planter to the west
of the main driveway. This plaque was first
dedicated in 1973 to David Demmon who
was listed as missing in action in Vietnam.
Demmon was not a local resident, but his
sister is. Over the years the plaque was
overgrown and forgotten. It was recently
rediscovered and remounted by a local
Eagle Scout, to be dedicated in September.
Church of the Lighted Window
The La Canada Congregational Church, better known as the Church of the Lighted Window, is the oldest church in La Canada.
Next to the entryway off the patio is the dedication stone from the original structure, dated 1897, and an added plaque from its
rebuild in 1924. Also by the entryway is the plaque denoting its establishment as a California Historic Landmark in 1969.
Local lore says that this step was taken by the Lanterman family to preserve it during construction of the 210 Freeway, which
dug a deep trench literally a few feet from the church foundations. It is located at 1200 Foothill.
La Cañada Elementary School
A chance stop at La Canada Elementary School turned up a
wealth of plaques! The courtyard centered on the mounted
ancient school bell is ringed with commemorative plaques.
Two plaques, one very elaborate, are for former teachers,
and one very touching plaque surrounded by a flower
garden contains a poem to a former student, Molly Petit,
who apparently died in 1992 at the young age of 11. The bell is beautifully restored and has a forge date on it of 1886. It was a
mate to the La Crescenta Elementary School bell that rang the students to school in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. According to
the accompanying plaques, the bell was remounted here by the La Canada Rotary Club in 1969, about the time this school was built
at 4540 Encinas Dr.
10
Memorial Park
Memorial Park was built on an overpass of the 210 Freeway. True to its name it contains several plaques and a flagpole
memorializing servicemen who have given their lives in various wars. The most recent addition is a memorial wall listing
the names of La Canada residents, and the conflicts they lost their lives in; WWI, WWII, Korea,, Vietnam, Iraq.
Cramer, Carr Plaque
Twenty years ago a tragedy took place on this
traffic island. A drunk driver speeding down
Verdugo Road missed the curve and plowed
through two families that were out for an evening
stroll. Both mothers in the families died, plus a
daughter from each family. The crosswalk was
rerouted, the traffic island was beautified a few
years ago with roses, and this plaque was
installed. Located at Verdugo and Canada.
WPA Plaque
This is a really obscure one! This plaque sits by itself
alongside Verdugo Road near Glorietta Park,
seemingly commemorating nothing! It simple states
that something here was built by the Work Projects
Administration in 1940, but there is nothing nearby.
A couple of guesses are that it might refer to some of
the nearby flood control channels, or possibly to a city
reservoir that is under Glorietta Park a block away.
Located across street from 2963 Verdugo Rd.
GCC
This plaque little known, mostely hidden
in the landscaping at the top of these
stairs leading up to the administration
building. It memorializes a GCC
professor, Bonnie Koploy, who was
swept away with several others in the
1978 Mill Creek flood in the San
Gabriels.
Charles Bausback, Crescenta Valley Pioneer
Our most recent Crescenta
Valley plaque honors Charles
Basuback for being a Valley
Pioneer. A tree was planted
in his honor on the corner of
Encinal and Pennsylvania,
next to the Pennsylvania offramp, as part of the Arbor Day
Celebration.
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Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley
c/o 2717 Altura Ave.
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley
Presents:
Skeletons in our Backyards:
Human remains found along the Alameda Corridor
Monday, August 17th, 7:00 PM
At the Center for Spiritual Living
(Formerly known as the La Crescenta Church of Religious Science)
Located on the corner of Dunsmore and Santa Carlotta
Please check your mailing label for accuracy.
Remember:
***2009 MEMBERSHIPS RUN FROM MARCH 2009 TO MARCH 2010***
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS
FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
Questions or changes?
Call Pam: (818) 957-2968
♥♥♥
We’re always interested...
We love to hear your recollections
about Crescenta Valley from times
past. Share your stories with us,
please! Let us share your
memories with our members.
Mail: 2717 Altura Ave.
La Crescenta, CA 91214
e-mail: lawlermom@yahoo.com
Travel with us as
we…
Visit our Valley’s
Plaques
Our August Newsletter will feature
the plaques of the Crescenta Valley
(beginning with page 3)
www.archaeospain.com/pintia